¹⁴But before very long there rushed down from the land a violent wind, called Euraquilo; ¹⁵and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along. ¹⁶Running under the shelter of a small island called Clauda, we were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control. ¹⁷After they had hoisted it up, they used supporting cables in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the sea anchor and in this way let themselves be driven along. ¹⁸The next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo; ¹⁹and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. ²⁰Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned.

The moderate south wind (Acts 27:13) that had lulled the crew into setting sail turned nasty. It soon became clear the crew could no longer fight the contrary weather change and let the wind drive them way off course, past various small islands, any of which could spell disaster of grounding. They spared no effort in trying to prevent what seemed to the seasoned, salt-encrusted crew a certain sea disaster. Having reinforced the hull with cables, a common but extreme effort to secure the ship from breaking apart, they put out the sea anchor, a device that would drag in the water, causing a braking effect that would slow down the wind’s push. Tied to the bow, it would prevent the ship from turning broadside to the waves. The narrative is excited and lively, the evidence of an eyewitness account (notice the “we”).

Three days of these treacherous conditions found the crew beginning to lighten the ship by throwing overboard anything unnecessary to survival. In the end, they parted company with “the ship’s tackle,” the very equipment they needed to control the ship’s movement. What use was it having those things weighing down the ship if the ship was going to be destroyed? A lighter boat would delay the grounding, giving them more time before destruction.

The storm conditions were epochal; darkness enveloped them twenty-four hours a day, unrelentingly. In time, all hope was lost. One thinks of another storm centuries earlier when a man named Jonah was running from the Lord’s assignment, and the ship he was riding in encountered a destructive storm that threatened a similar disaster (Jonah 1). In that case, the prophet offered to have himself thrown overboard in an attempt to appease God’s anger against him, the supposed cause of the circumstances. In this case, Paul was not running from God but walking in His will. The ship could not sink and leave him dead before he could testify in Rome. Paul was in the center of God’s will!

Lord, no matter the events surrounding me, I commit to walking in Your will.